Smoke and Iron
by Shaetil
Summary: Perhaps he has grown too tired of the dirt and the blood, or maybe he has lost his mind. When a temperamental blonde storms his way into Zoro's territory he doesn't throw him back to the outside like he should. However stranger things than a ruthless gearhound taking in a stranger happen in a city that is constantly moving - carried along a giant railway. Steampunk AU Zosan Rated T


_I do not claim to own or have created any characters, names or other intellectual properties belonging to One Piece. This is only my hobby and I simply hope that you enjoy what you read._

_This oneshot was written for the Tumblr Zosan Coffee Shop AU Project - Please review and critique constructively._

_:)_

Smoke and Iron

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Zoro brought the axe down in one sharp motion. His aim was sure, and his victim's screams were cut short as the man lost consciousness from the intense pain and shock. Bending over, Zoro picked up the severed gearwork leg and tossed it in his bloodstained, burlap sack. He didn't even bother to wipe the blood from his gloves. The leather was already irreparably stained. Hefting his axe once more, Zoro set off to hunt again.

Leaving his mutilated victim to his own fate, Zoro took off through the narrow, steel passages at a jog. His boots echoed on the metal floor as he searched for signs in the soot coating every surface. Down here in the wheel level corridors the air was thick and smoky - the result of the coal-fueled machinery that powered the entire city above. Zoro was grateful for his cotton-lined, leather respirator and goggles. However, even with the goggles, Zoro had to concentrate hard to spot the signs of his prey in the poor light and wafting haze.

Fresh marks in the black dust prompted Zoro to make a turn into an even smaller passage. Here his elbows brushed the walls as he ran, but he pressed on. Zoro's boots skidded in the soot as he came to a stop at a small hatch door at the end of the tight corridor. He gripped his axe tighter - the wheel handle in the center was clean. Someone had come through here just recently.

Zoro's gloves slid slightly on the worn metal as he turned the hatch. The door gave way with a rusty squeak, and Zoro was hit with a strong gust of wind as it opened. It was one of the many maintenance hatches that provided access to the outer walls of the city. His prey must have been truly desperate to escape if he had gone this way.

Outside, Zoro could see one of the many gigantic wheels that carried the city forward. Sparks and debris were thrown into the hot wind as the wheel pulverized anything on the track far below. Zoro gripped the doorframe and cautiously leaned out. Had the man he was hunting really come through here? There was no path along the vertical wall outside - just small rungs jutting from the sheer, metal surface. Groaning in irritation, he wondered how bad the pay cut would be this time. Zoro had no intention of risking his life for one shitty criminal - no matter how much grief he might get for it later.

Seeing movement, Zoro leaned out further for a better look. Not too far below there was someone climbing the wall. Zoro steeled himself against the dirt-laden wind as he tried to identify who was stupidly risking his life below. The man was practically hugging the wall as he climbed through the narrow gap between the city and the wheel. It was a miracle that he even fit in that dangerously narrow space.

The first thing Zoro noticed was brilliant, golden hair, whipping in the wind. He had never seen hair that vibrant. Inside the city everything and everyone was dirty and dingy.

This stranger wasn't the man he'd been chasing. Zoro ground his teeth as he admitted to himself that he'd lost his quarry once more. He didn't have any more time to waste on this nonsense. The sun was already risen and he needed to return.

What was that man out there thinking anyway? He wasn't maintenance personnel - Zoro would recognize the uniform. No one normally would ever risk climbing around on the outside wall. Unless they were sneaking inside.

Zoro leaned out again and tried to catch a glimpse of the blonde's face. He didn't look like the criminals Zoro usually hunted at night. The man clinging for dear life to the rungs with his gloved hands had fine features - a narrow nose, small chin, and thin, delicately curved lips. There were no scars or visible gearwork. Zoro might even venture so far as to say the man was handsome.

Grey-blue eyes stared back as the stranger finally noticed Zoro in the doorway and he immediately began moving faster in the direction of the hatch. Zoro frowned - he was more sure now then ever that this man was trying to illegally enter the city. The blonde shouted something, but Zoro couldn't make out the words over the wind and the wheels. Not that Zoro cared anyway - he wanted nothing more to do with this.

He felt in his gut that this blonde was nothing but trouble.

He caught a brief glimpse of panic in the blonde stranger's eyes when he stepped back inside. Zoro felt no guilt as he closed the hatch. There was no reason for him to help that man - he didn't look like he possessed anything of value, and seemed to be without even any gearwork for Zoro to remove for resale. Also he had places he needed to be. Pushing the blonde from his thoughts and re-shouldering his gruesome burden, Zoro retraced his steps deep into the bowels of the city - the doctor was waiting.

The wheel level passages were maze-like and confusing as they twisted and turned to follow the steam and water pipes that ran like veins through the city. Zoro found himself having to backtrack numerous times on his journey back to the upper levels, and by the time he was finally standing in front of the large double-doors that sealed off the wheel level corridors he was sweaty, irritated and much later than he'd originally planned to be. Sliding his goggles up into his short, dirty, green hair, Zoro examined the complicated lock securing the solid, steel doors with his one good eye. It was a good thing he always carried the right tool for these types of security measures.

Slipping off one glove, Zoro reached up with clean fingers and casually popped out the ball of gearwork that had long ago replaced his left eye. He was grateful that the doctor had been generous enough to add the metal fitting inserted into his eye-socket that made this process simple and painless. Holding the gearwork "eye" up to the lock, Zoro depressed a small button and waited. The intricate machinery whirred between his fingertips as the gearwork blossomed tiny, metal rods in all directions and filled the interior contours of the lock. When Zoro heard the gearwork stop he turned the handle of his makeshift key and stepped through the unlocked door. Another push of the button and the gearwork retracted from the lock into a ball once more. Zoro pressed it back into place, hearing the hollow click resonate through his skull, and pulled his goggles back down.

He couldn't help feeling a little smug as he strode through the unlocked doors - it would take more than a shitty lock to keep him out. As he proceeded down the much larger corridor, the amount of smoke in the air thinned, and exhausted looking engine workers scurried by in increasing numbers. No one tried to question Zoro despite his blood-soaked baggage and his stained clothes. Everyone had too many problems of their own to feel the need to bother one potentially dangerous gearhound.

Following familiar passages and spiraling stairways upwards, Zoro finally found himself back at home on the third level. The shitty, two-room residence also served as the doctor's clinic - indicated by the blood-red cross painted roughly on the entryway. Zoro turned the door's handle before kicking it open rudely, "Oi! I'm back!"

"Took you long enough..." The doctor approached as Zoro casually dropped his sticky sack on a dirty operating table, "What did you bring me?"

Removing his mask and goggles, Zoro shed his gloves before pulling his leather eyepatch from his pocket and buckling it in place over his left eye - effectively hiding his scar and unique gearwork from prying eyes. "Just some standard gearwork. Only the conducting crystals are worth anything. You need to get some better information, I'm sick of tracking all these shitty criminals. None of these bastards you've been sending me out for could possibly have anything like a Piece."

"You don't know that." The doctor admonished him absently as he turned over a limp arm in his gloved hands, "If you don't like my targets then you are free to gather your own information this time. More importantly, I don't pay you to do half-assed work. Where is the rest?"

Zoro grumbled as he grabbed a relatively clean rag and began to polish his axe, "I lost one."

"Again?"

"It couldn't be helped! The fucker is probably dead anyway. He went out one of the wheel doors."

"How foolish."

Zoro couldn't be sure if the doctor was referring to him or the escaped target so he chose to ignore the comment and focus on his cleaning. When his weapon was satisfactorily polished, Zoro went to work on his other equipment. The wheel level was only used by city workers and criminals for good reason - acids, soot and corrosive greases of all kinds made the area dangerous and nearly uninhabitable. Zoro had long ago learned to clean and maintain his gear constantly. The sludge down in those corridors would even eat through steel if left long enough.

The doctor had already began his grisly work as Zoro wiped down his boots and watched.

He always watched - doctor Tony Law, "the Chopper", was the best biomechanical surgeon in the entire city, and Zoro never tired of seeing how skillfully the man dismantled the gearwork he brought back. Doctor Law rubbed at his face with the back of one thin hand while he carefully removed the delicate springs and gear-stops. Zoro observed the dark circles under the doctor's eyes, his pale skin, and his emaciated frame.

"You look like shit. Your last dose must have worn off."

"Why can't you ever just sit in your damn corner and stay quiet? You're tolerable when your mouth is shut!" Law groused, but reached for the jar on the shelf behind him anyway.

Zoro heard the sharp crack when the doctor popped one of the round pills into his mouth and bit down. Tossing his filthy rag into a grimy corner, Zoro stood and strolled over to the doctor's cluttered desk. "I'm taking my pay from the last job and going out."

A low groan from Law was the only indication that the doctor had heard. The transformation caused by the strange medication always rendered Law unable to speak until it had fully taken effect. Zoro cast a calm gaze over the doctor's writhing, grotesquely swelling form, and wide, round eyes that stared back unblinkingly. "I'll bring you something. How does coffee sound?"

Law's voice came out as a squeak and and a gurgle as the end of his nose turned an unhealthy blue. Uninterested in Law's self-inflicted distress, Zoro quickly thumbed through the few bills in his hand once more. "Coffee, no cream, extra sugar... I think I also have enough for a corn muffin - for me, not you. I'm not wasting all my pay on your ass. See you later."

Zoro grabbed his beloved knee-length, green duster off the coathook by the door and shrugged it on before he left the two-room clinic. The long coat would cover the bloodstains on his clothes, and he liked the inside pockets for carrying his money. As he left, Zoro didn't bother with the lock. Any bastard who was brash enough to bother the doctor would find themselves being 'cured' of their imperfect human state - resulting in their innards stored in jars on the doctor's shelf, and their bodies transformed into a walking menagerie of experimental gearwork.

The city was quickly coming alive with the usual harried activity as the day progressed into mid-morning. Zoro wove with practiced ease through the early risers clogging the narrow corridors. Dodging men carrying all manner of work-related tools, he made a beeline for his preferred shop. Most of the other residents of the third level worked on the massive steam-powered engines that fueled the city, but there were a few who made a living catering to the needs of others. Out of all of them, Brook's little store selling foodstuffs and fresh, hot coffee was the best.

He spotted the impressive explosion of curls that sprouted from the tall shop owner's head before he saw the man himself. Brook turned and waved when the shop bell above the door, rang - prompting Zoro to grin and wave back as he approached. Brook wore a concealing, iron mask over his face at all times and it had taken Zoro quite some time to grow accustomed to the eccentric man, but Brook had eventually proved to be a great friend with many interesting stories to tell. Now Zoro's day never felt right until he had visited the amiable shop owner.

"Zoro! Yohohoho, you look well!"

"Good morning, Brook. Can I get two of the usual? You remember how Law likes his, right?" The stick-skinny man nodded, and the round, tinted glass panels inset into the eyes of the mask flashed briefly under the shop lights. "Thanks, Brook."

"Think nothing of it!"

Zoro sat down at a small table to wait for his coffee, and lounged back comfortably as he watched the shop owner at work. Furthering his mechanical image, Brook had long ago had both arms replaced by gearwork almost all the way to the shoulder. Zoro had never asked how it had happened, and Brook had never volunteered the information. However, it didn't matter to Zoro anyway. He was much more interested in admiring how skillfully the shop owner's long, metal fingers handled each task - no matter how delicate. Brook was an artesian for sure.

"Oh! I forgot! Can I get a corn muffin too? With butter?"

"Yohohoho! Of course! Anything for my most faithful customer!"

Zoro smiled at Brook's jovial tone and contentedly stretched his legs out under the table. For the first time that morning, Zoro relaxed his tense body as he enjoyed the various small sounds of Brook at work. However his happiness was fleeting. A long leg, clad in black, sliced through the air and cracked the wooden table into pieces, shattering the tranquility of the moment.

"Holy shit!" Zoro frantically scrambled backwards, landing painfully on the floor as he tried to create distance between himself and his attacker. He was quick to get back to his feet, but his assailant moved even faster. Zoro found himself pinned to the wall, staring straight into furious, grey-blue eyes. He struggled to breathe as the knuckles of the gloved hand fisted in his collar pressed hard against his throat.

"I almost died out there, you fucker!"

It was the goddamn blonde from the outside wall.

Zoro grabbed the angry man's wrist and ripped away the hand at his shirt. Impressively, the blonde didn't flinch despite Zoro's powerful grip. Barely constraining his temper, Zoro sneered in response, "You don't belong here. Back the fuck off before I get really angry!"

He didn't even see the leg that swept his feet out from under him - the blonde was that fast. His assailant stood over him and planted one foot on his chest before pulling a cigarette from the vest beneath his coat and lighting it with a match. "You think you're so tough? You shitty pile of moldy trash, you can't scare me! I'm going to kick your sorry ass until I'm satisfied!"

"Like hell you will!" Zoro snarled as he grabbed the blonde's leg with both hands and jerked the man off his feet, flinging him into the front of the shop's counter.

"Gentlemen!" There was alarm in Brook's voice as glass jars filled with teas and coffee beans rattled dangerously from the impact.

The blonde let out a pained wheeze as he struggled back to his feet. Zoro smirked as he hopped up to face his opponent once more. The blonde's smoke hadn't survived the fall, and he spat out the crushed end from between his teeth before he kicked out high at the side of Zoro's head. "Eat shit and die you bastard!"

Zoro was surprised by both the blonde's flexibility and the strength of his kick - his arm ached as he absorbed the impact with his forearm. It was time to go all out. He pulled his other shoulder back to ready himself, but before he could actually throw the punch, a gearwork hand clutched his shoulder painfully. Brook forcefully pulled the two of them apart and ungently shoved them down into chairs at an unharmed table.

"Let's discuss our issues with our words. We wouldn't want to attract the attention of the gendarmery, hm?" Brook loomed threateningly over the two of them, his familiar mask suddenly seeming fierce and imposing

Sullenly, Zoro crossed his arms and scowled silently at the blonde glaring back at him. Putting this fucker in his place wasn't worth getting into trouble with the gendarmery. Zoro had spent more than enough time in jail, and he doubted that the doctor would bail him out again. They sat in angry, mutual speechlessness for a moment as Brook strode back behind his counter with a few steps of his long legs. However the ceasefire was short-lived.

Zoro jumped from the sudden pain when the blonde kicked him sharply in the knee without warning. Gritting his teeth in anger, Zoro kicked his attacker in the shin as retribution. The blonde growled dangerously in his throat and launched a full scale attack. Zoro wasn't about to just sit there and take it. The two of them furiously traded bruising blows beneath the table until Brook smacked down a plateful of warm, buttered muffins between them. Zoro blinked up at the shop owner in surprise as the man also set down mugs of fresh coffee for the both of them.

"Eat and resolve your differences. There's no need to hold grudges against a good man - life is too short for that. My gut tells me that you're both good men." Brook patted his flat stomach and laughed, "Yohohoho! Or it would if I had one to speak of! Enjoy your coffee, gentlemen."

The blonde looked just as taken aback as Zoro by Brook's generosity, but he only hesitated for a moment before shedding his heavy, black coat and reaching for a muffin with his still-gloved hand. Zoro also selected a muffin and chewed thoughtfully, staring directly at the blonde who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. Finally Zoro blurted out, "What the hell did you come here for anyway?"

The blonde snorted and set down his coffee mug, "To kick your ass, moron!"

Zoro rolled his visible eye at the childish response, "I mean why did you sneak into the city? That's illegal you know?"

The blonde scoffed and avoided answering by asking a question of his own, "What were YOU doing in that part of the city? I'm pretty sure they lock it up for a reason?"

Scowling, Zoro reached for a second muffin, "Answer my question first. What's so damn important that you would risk getting crushed?"

The blonde assessed him with his piercing gaze before leaning back and going through the ritual of lighting up another cigarette and planting it between his lips. "My name is Sanji, by the way."

Zoro huffed out an irritated breath, "Answer the damn question!"

Sanji breathed out a long stream of fine smoke, "Have you ever heard of the All Blue?"

His frown deepening, Zoro tried to recall why that name sounded familiar.

"I can see from the stupid look on your face that you have no clue what I''m talking about. Never mind then."

Zoro's temper began to rise again and he hissed his reply through gritted teeth, "I was TRYING to remember where I've heard of that thing before! But forget it if you're just going to be an asshole!"

The blonde's whole demenor changed in the blink of an eye. "You've really heard of All Blue?"

Sanji's tone was no longer aggressive or condecending. He leaned forward - his entire expression hopeful and unguarded. Zoro shifted uncomfortably under the expectant gaze of those grey-blue eyes. "It might have been a long time ago..."

"Oh." Sanji's shoulders slumped in disappointment as he sat back in his chair again, "You can't remember?"

Zoro slowly shook his head. Sanji sighed out another lungful of smoke, and he suddenly looked more tired than anything as he turned to stare off into space. "Figures."

"Why... are you looking for it?" Zoro asked cautiously, and Sanji's gaze flew back to his face.

"Closure I suppose?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow at that. "You risked your life for... closure?"

"Well there's more to it than that, but I suppose so. My father dragged me around my whole life looking for it. I guess at some point finding it became my dream too - if only just to see if it was all worth it."

Zoro gave an obligatory nod, but he didn't really understand. Risking his life warrented a far better reason than closure. It seemed stupidly reckless and vain. Why not find a more productive way to better the past? Zoro's dream was completely different. It wasn't some mere goosechase for his own personal gain. Kuina was counting on him.

"What about you?" Zoro frowned at the question, not liking he instinctively knew it would lead, "What are you looking for down in that horrible maze?"

Scowling, Zoro broke eye-contact and took another sip of his coffee, "That's none of your business."

Sanji snorted before taking another sip of his coffee, "Rude bastard. Suit yourself."

As the two of them fell into silence, finishing their beverages, Brook came out from behind the counter with a broom and began to clear the debris from the destroyed table. Sanji quickly jumped up, "Oh shit! I am so sorry about that! I can pay to have it replaced..."

"Yohohohoho! There's no need!" Brook dramatically opened a closet door and pulled out another table that was an exact replica of the one that Sanji had ruined, "See?"

When Sanji shot an amazed in Zoro's direction he simply shrugged, "It's a rough town."

"I see..."

As Sanji sat back down and fiddled with his empty mug, Zoro couldn't help but feel that the blonde looked lost. Despite every instinct screaming at him to not get involved with this man, Zoro folded his arms over his chest and tried to look disinterested in Sanji's reaction as he spoke, "I know a guy who might know something about your All Blue..."

Sanji just lit up. There was really no other way to describe it. He was practically vibrating in place as he perched on the very edge of his seat. His eyes had brightened to a bluer shade that reminded Zoro of the blueberries that Brook used in his baking sometimes. "You will introduce me, right? You're not just fucking with me?"

Zoro made a displeased sound in his throat, "Why the hell would I bother to tell you I knew someone if I wasn't planning on taking you to meet him?"

"Today?" Zoro nodded and watched as Sanji sighed contentedly, leaning back in his chair to finish up his cigarette. "You make good apologies, mold head."

"What the fuck did you just call me?"

Sanji shrugged, "You won't tell me your name, and you don't look like a Victor or a Henry. Since your hair is weird and green, mold-man it is!"

"ZORO!" Snarling in anger, Zoro banged his fist on the table making the dishes rattle, "MY NAME IS ZORO!"

Sanji coolly blew out a stream of smoke and stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Zoro."

Zoro stared at the outstretched hand feeling equal parts bewildered and angry. This man had been jerking his emotions all over today with his shitty attitude and quirky behavior. As Zoro wavered between accepting Sanji's gesture and punching the bastard right in his cheeky grin, he wondered just what had possessed him to offer help. He already regretted his own impulsive generosity, but he never went back on his word. Zoro gave in with an exasperated sigh and gave the blonde's hand a firm shake.

Tilting his head curiously, Zoro studied the blonde's face with his good eye - facinated by Sanji's rapid changes in expression. The blonde smiled brightly for a moment longer before releasing Zoro's hand with a frown, "What now? I already said my thanks! Were you expecting me to kiss you or something?"

Zoro stiffened and his gaze flew to Sanji's thin lips. He didn't need that sort of shitty thank-you. Booze or money would be better - even if Sanji's lips did look strangely soft...

"Oi. I'm not going to actually do it." Sanji's lips turned down in a scowl and Zoro blinked in confusion. "Quit staring at my MOUTH you shitty bastard!"

Zoro's eye widened and he felt himself flush from embarrassment. Standing quickly, Zoro pointedly looked down at Sanji's scuffed, black shoes, "I don't care if you want to keep fucking around here - I'm leaving!"

"Right." Sanji hopped up, "Let's go."

Brook called out from behind the counter, "Did you still need that coffee to go?"

"You know what?" Zoro was still feeling humiliated and he was in no mood to do anyone any favors, "Law can pick up his own damn coffee for once!"

"Very well." Brook chuckled knowingly, "Have a good day, gentlemen!"

Sanji raised an eyebrow under his shaggy bangs, and Zoro reacted to the look with a threatening growl, "Just shut up already and come on..."

Shrugging, Sanji followed Zoro back out into the main corridor with Brook's laughter fading in the distance behind them.

As Zoro led Sanji back to his home he wondered if he was making a mistake. Sanji HAD tried to kill him once already after all. Zoro glanced over at the blonde strolling at his side. When Sanji noticed his look and smiled back at him with those blueberry-hued eyes sparkling, Zoro figured it would be okay - since it made the weirdo that happy. He had nothing to worry about anyway. Law could always chop the bastard up for experiments if Sanji got out of line.

As they were walking, Zoro suddenly realized he didn't know where he was. He frowned at the entryway to a small residence in confusion, "I must have missed when the homes shifted again..."

"Shifted...?!"

"Zoro!" When had the doctor appeared behind them?

Zoro tensed at Sanji's incredulous tone, but held his tongue. When the doctor waved them over, he quickly made a u-turn and headed for home. He could sense Sanji's eyes boring into the side of his head. "Did you really get lost going back to your own home?!"

"It's a moving city... Stuff changes around sometimes!"

Sanji's laugh was absolutely irritating, but Zoro did his best to just ignore the mockery. He could strangle the blonde AFTER the promise to introduce him to Law had been fulfilled. The doctor watched them approach with curious, round eyes - probably trying to make sure that Zoro wasn't going to get "lost" again. Zoro could see that the pill had taken its full effect. The swollen muscles enlarging his frame and filling out his doctor's coat to bursting were the evidence of that. Law's flattened and animalistic blue nose twitched as they approached, and he touched the brim of his worn, pink top-hat in greeting. "Hello!"

Zoro was used to how Law's voice rose in this form, but beside him Sanji was obviously struggling not to laugh. That tiny, squeezed voice from such a big man WAS pretty unusual. Taking pity on the blonde, Zoro introduced him so he could have a moment to collect himself, "This is Sanji. He wanted to ask some stuff. Also I didn't bring you coffee, lazy bastard."

He turned to Sanji and gestured to Law with a jerk of his chin, "That's the doctor. You can call him Law or Chopper."

"You didn't bring me coffee? Dammit, Zoro... I need to find a cure for your personality!"

The doctor turned his attention to Sanji, "Please come in, and call me Chopper! All my friends call me that. I don't know what you want to ask, but I will try to help!"

Zoro rolled his visible eye. Law was always in a friendlier mood when he was under the influence of his "intellect enhancing" pill. He followed the pair of them inside the small residence, and settled into his favorite corner with his equipment once more. As Sanji chattered happily about his All Blue, Zoro tried not to look interested, but every gesture and expression the blonde made had his undivided attention. He had never met anyone like Sanji. Suddenly the blonde met his gaze with a dazzling smile. Zoro quickly ducked his head with ears reddening. He pretended to focus on his cleaning as he secretly continued listening to Sanji and Law.

"Zoro!" Law was unusually excited, "Good news! Sanji is going to stay with us while he looks for All Blue!"

Zoro's startled gaze flew to Sanji's smug expression. Laughing grey-blue eyes dared him to put up a fight as Sanji lit up what was undoubtedly a victory smoke. Zoro didn't know if he was more interested in learning more about this strange man, or if he was more excited about all the opportunities he would have to stab the damn blonde. Either way Zoro couldn't deny the rush that quickened his heartbeat, and the eager shiver that ran down his spine. A smirk spread slowly across his face, daring Sanji to do his worst.


End file.
